"Alright, that should be enough warming up," Jay yawned, rubbing his eyes. He and his friends had dozed off for a moment or two or… several. It was hard to say. The snow had stopped and it was a little sunny, but there wasn't any buildup of snow on their bodies and the fire was still blazing. It felt like no time had passed at all.

Lucas stretched out his arms and smacked his lips, nudging Nina awake in the process. They picked themselves up and took a look around. Something was definitely off… but they couldn't tell what. Jay and Nina let Lucas handle the fire, the Charmeleon was fond of eating the still smoldering bits of wood after a fire was put out, and muttered between themselves, planning.

"Any idea on where to go?" Nina asked, getting a shrug from Jay. She sighed, then asked, "Well, do you think they're gonna come looking for us?"

"Of course. Zen looks like the kind of leader to go after every member if, say… they all got separated in a snowstorm," Jay said, choosing to ignore the pout Nina gave him. "And there's Eva too, she'd also want to get everyone back together ASAP."

Nina crossed her arms, finding it difficult to look directly at Jay when she said, "I-I think Kora would wanna find us too…" Jay bit his lip, wanting to poke fun at that little comment, but couldn't find it in his heart to-

"Sounds like you just wanna be found by Kora," Lucas snickered, munching on the last of the burnt wood.

"N-No! He just looks like someone who would try to keep his friends together!" Nina said, overly defensive. Jay had to cover his mouth to keep his laughter from bursting out.

"I bet you wanna climb back into his mane too!" Lucas teased further, bringing a purple tint to Nina's cheeks.

"B-Because it was warm in there!" Nina crossed her arms and turned away, almost slipping in the snow. "He's a lot warmer than you at least, Lucas."

"So… what you mean to say…" Lucas looked at Jay, who was struggling to keep himself under control. "Is that you think…"

"Lucas, I know what you're about to say, a-and for your sake…" Nina warned, but didn't have the strength to look menacing.

Lucas leaned in close, just enough to whisper in Nina's ear. A small flame brushed past Nina's cheek as the Fire Type said, "... Kora is hotter than me?"

A very unwanted, unpleasantly pleasant chill ran through Nina's body, and her face turned a deep shade of purple. Her instincts told her to get away immediately, which translated to her jumping as high as she possibly could and hang onto whatever branch she could grab onto. Lucas and Jay both lost it, the former fell on his back as he laughed, and the latter clutched his sides and tried to keep himself upright.

"Th-The look on your face!" Lucas wheezed, finally calm enough to get back on his feet. "That was priceless!"

The branch, well… the tree Nina hung onto started to bend and lower her. She shouldn't have expected anything more from a pencil-thin tree, and cursed herself for doing so. "N-No fair! Why'd you have to go and do something like that?!"

"Because I knew it would mess you up like that," Lucas said, sticking out his tongue. " Now I know you have two weaknesses, and they're both fire related!"

Jay wiped a tear from his eye, which froze as he flicked it away. "You have to commend him, at least. Not even I thought you'd react like that," he sighed as he was done laughing. Nina crossed her arms, then a great idea popped into her head.

"You're one to talk mister. Don't think I wouldn't notice." Nina had a smug look on her, which only did to confuse Jay.

"Notice what?" Jay asked.

Nina, still purple with embarrassment, pointed a digit at Jay. "The day we ran into Zen, you started talking like he does? And you tried to act like him too? And you decided to go with him to beat up Kane? And-"

"Oh no. Nonononono, don't you try and throw that on me." Jay held up his claws and shook his head. "There's nothing between me and Zen like you and Kora. Trust me."

"Oh really? So he just so happened to be the first one you mention when we were listing off who would look for us?" Nina raised where her eyebrow would have been, if frogs had those.

"Because he's the leader of the group, obviously," Jay said, blunt, but he was already showing cracks in his armor of stoicness. He just couldn't, for the life of him, look Nina dead in the eye.

"And what about how you were the first to offer going with him to find Kane? You didn't even waste a second." Nine got close and poked Jay in the chest. Lucas was giggling off to the side, enjoying every last second of this.

Jay was growing more visibly flustered, suddenly finding his thick winter coat a bit too stuffy. "J-Just because I am willing to help someone doesn't mean I-"

"Oh hey Zen!" Lucas said in a chipper tone. Jay's head instantly snapped around, looking for the Bisharp in question, but by the time he realized no one was there, it was too late. He had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Lucas must have been a master fisherman with how easily he can toss out some bait and catch both Jay and Lucas hook, line, and sinker. Nina and Lucas wrapped an arm around on each other and laughed, bumping the others' free fist. Jay's shoulders sank, suddenly feeling a lot warmer than he thought he should, especially around the face.

"We got him good!" Lucas said, entirely proud of himself.

"I hate you both…" Jay groaned, hiding the redness in his cheeks by pulling over his hood.

"Well that's a given, neither of us are Zen," Nina snickered.

"And I'm sure if I was Kora, you'd be all over me." Jay cleared his throat, smirking at the sudden increase of purple in Nina's face. "There, now we're even. Let's get out of here already."

"A-Agreed…" Nina agreed. "Let's also, uh, keep this between us? Like, pretend it was nothing?"

Jay looked over Nina's face before saying, "I mean, sure, but why would we keep nothing between us?" He nodded.

"Wait… Nothing? I thought we were-" Lucas began, interrupted by both Nina and Jay facepalming. "What?"

The trio trudged through the snow, the warmth of the fire and their innocent teasing long gone, having been replaced by bitter cold and snow. They had to huddle close together, just as before, but even with Lucas refueled, his heat wasn't enough. It got colder and colder, and the wind blew stronger and stronger. Snow impaired their vision, the wind impaired their hearing, the cold made them slower…

And worst of all was the feeling of being watched. No, there was something else that was strange too, an odd sensation that made the trios' bodies feel groggy and even slower. It was familiar to Nina and Lucas, which wasn't a good sign to them.

"What do we do?" Lucas whispered. His eyes darted every which way, looking for… something.

"W-We can't run, o-obviously. But it m-might be too cold f-for all of us to fight. At least, n-not me," Jay said. "Curse this weather…"

"Fighting might be our only option. But I don't know where they are. Even when I jumped up high, I couldn't see anyone…" Nina said. "Nothing but snow and weird trees."

"S-So we're lost with an enemy w-we can't even see. This feels exactly l-like something an exploration team should be ready for, b-but…" Jay sighed, shaking his head. "No, we'll be fine. Getting in a fight might h-help me warm back up."

They walked for a little while, hoping to find a clearing or something to fight in but to no avail. At least they should have an advantage, thanks to all the trees. Assuming their enemy was larger than them, which by all accounts of not even being able to see them, probably wasn't the case.

"Alright! We know you're there!" Lucas shouted out. His tail flame burned brightly, hopefully a sign to not be messed with.

"As members of the Sunset Guild, we demand you make yourself known!" Jay used all his strength to sound like he had authority.

"We'll warn you now; don't underestimate us just because we're young. You'll really regret it." Nina kept her eyes peeled for any sudden movements, ready to frubble whoever it was up in a moment's notice.

The trio stood back to back, waiting for a voice, a movement, a sound… but nothing happened. They knew they were being watched, they knew they were being followed, and they wouldn't let their guards down until their pursuer made themselves known. A minute passed, feeling like an hour with the tension in the air, then the obvious crunch of snow beneath someone's feet seemed to echo in their heads.

Something was approaching, but they couldn't tell from where, who, or what. Watchful eyes surveyed every visible inch of the forest, but despite the sound of crunching snow getting louder, there was nothing they could see. Was this person invisible? Were they even alone?

There was a sudden pause; everything seemed to stop. The snow, the wind, all of it. The stillness in the air was… unnerving. It felt like even the crackle of Lucas' tail was silenced. Even with everything turning still, none of the three even thought about letting their guard up. Nothing could have gotten past them. Nothing should have…

"For a second there, I was almost intimidated," a voice chuckled, from behind all three of them. They had their backs together, right? They were sure of it. But instead of the scales or jackets they felt a moment ago, there was… fur. The trio jumped away from each other and turned, eyes widening at the sight of a tall, fierce wolf, grinning back at them. Red fur, a white mane, pink eyes; a Lycanroc, obviously. "Almost."

"Who are you." Jay didn't take his eyes off the Wolf, his demand pulling a laugh from the beast.

"We have a real tough guy now, don't we?" The Wolf cracked his neck, totally unfazed by their display. "How cute."

"Who. Are. You," Jay stated again, better at keeping his cool than his friends. "I won't ask you again."

"Alright, alright. No need for all the hostility, kid. Let me ask you a question first, though." The Wolf's demeanor shifted into a far more serious one, and he fixed his eyes on Jay specifically. "What do you know about the Time Gears?"

Nina and Lucas were confused, and rightfully so. Neither could really tell if they knew what those were, exactly. They might have heard about them but nothing was coming to mind. Jay, on the other hand, felt his heartbeat quicken.

"I know what they are, and I know none of us should be messing with them," Jay gestured to everyone present. "So why do you need to know about them?"

The Wolf grinned, rolling his neck. "Good, good. I just needed to know I got to the right one. Well, for your first question, my name is Lee." Lee bowed. "Hell, you do one better and tell you my guild, too. Ever heard of the Valley Ruins Guild?"

Jay squinted, tensing up a bit. "I thought that guild closed down a few years back."

"Right you are. We were in need of a new Guildmaster and members, and figured it would be safer to fake our shutdown while we searched. Bandits and criminals started popping up more and more at the time. Surely you understand how troublesome that could be?" Lee chuckled. His story wasn't entirely unbelievable, other guilds have been known to do the same thing, after all.

"Alright. And the Gears?" Jay asked, clenching his fist.

"A task given to us by Dialga himself. We were the ideal guild for him, no one had their eyes on us thanks to us 'shutting down,' and very few guilds are as effective as us in scouring the world undetected," Lee explained. "In fact, I can't say too much more. I've said more than I was probably allowed to already."

"Can you tell us why you wanted to speak with us?" Lucas asked, having already relaxed a bit.

"I thought it obvious, from what I just said. There's a Time Gear on this island, and I need to know where it is. We're collecting them for Dialga." Lee's expression softened slightly. "It would be a great help if you could cooperate, I'm already having a rough day…"

That sounded… genuine. Lee was dealing with the blizzard as well, from the looks of it. Jay found it hard to keep his suspicions up, as did Lucas and Nina. Of course, they didn't let that show. Jay crossed his arms and tapped his elbows, then said, "We'll… consider helping. As you can see, we're in a predicament ourselves."

"You're referring to the blizzard? I'd imagine that to be a problem. Tell ya what, since you've been so kind, allow me to repay the favor." Lee raised his paw and clenched it, and a second later, jagged pillars of rock jutted from the ground, clearing the snow and creating a path. "That should lead you back to the square. Hopefully I've earned your trust enough for that consideration to become a certainty?"

Jay blinked, caught off guard by the speed of the rocks Lee created. If those were aimed at him… "It does lean more in your favor, yes, but not entirely just yet. We'll have to regroup with the others and see what they know first. This is the first time we even heard of a Gear on the island, after all."

"Please, there's no need for more people to know of the Gear's existence on the island. One of the reasons I sought you out was because I knew you'd be able to keep a secret, several in fact," Lee said.

Something about that statement didn't sit well with Jay, not in the slightest. He cleared his throat and refocused on the facade of stoicness. "Very well then. We'll keep this between us, and once we get the information you need, we'll-"

"Don't worry too much about getting back to me. Chances are I'll bump into you again anyway. Not like I could just stand around and wait, you know?" Lee chuckled. "Regardless, I do appreciate the assistance. People aren't as receptive to helping as you'd think." The Wolf turned and waved, heading in the opposite direction than the path he created. "Be seeing you, and if I don't, I probably already got the Gear and left."

Jay was going to stop the Wolf, having more questions to ask, but Lee was gone in the blink of an eye. What did he do? Was that his natural speed? Some technique? While Jay was nowhere near adept at aura sensing, not by a long shot, he could at least feel some form of pressure when it's being used but… he didn't feel anything just then. Lee was just… gone.

Suddenly, Nina fell to her knees and started gasping, holding her chest. "G-Good grief, I felt like I couldn't breathe. How do you two keep that act up so well?"

"Huh?" Lucas blinked. "Sorry, I was looking at something else. What happened?"

"Y-You zoned out? H-How?" Jay asked, the cold now too great to ignore. Lucas shrugged, pulling groans from his friends.

"Whatever. We have a path, let's just get out of this snow before something else happens… please?" Nina stood up and patted the snow off her.

The trio stood in front of the freshly-made path. It led straight through the forest, luckily, so they wouldn't have to worry about getting lost. Just before they walked down it, a chill crawled up Lucas' spine. He spun his head back, just in time to see a clump of snow hit the ground. After a few seconds staring at it, Lucas was tapped on the shoulder by Nina.

"You alright?" Nina asked.

Lucas nodded. "Y-Yeah, it's… nothing. I'm fine."

Kora's ears twitched as he jolted awake. He had dozed off sometime after he, Minerva, and Eva found the Square, apparently. It was still frigid, a tiny campfire desperately tried to warm the area up but to no avail. The Bank tent simply refused to heat up, it seemed.

The cold wasn't of Kora's concern, however. There was a something somewhere that did something, uh, somewhere… Kora wasn't really sure, but he knew he didn't like it. Neither did his nose, it seemed, since it itched and irritated him like when he tried to eat a bowl of peppers by sticking his head in it.

Eva and Minerva weren't awake, so for a moment Kora thought he was just spooked for no reason, but then it happened again. A chill rushed up his spine, causing him to shudder and jump to his feet. Then came the sound of rocks breaking through the ground. They abruptly stopped somewhere just outside the tent, and yet the two females remained asleep.

'Are we under attack?' Kora gulped, looking out the entrance of the tent. He relit the fire before walking over to the entrance, peeking his head out slightly. The snow stopped falling, and the wind died down a bit, but there wasn't anyone there. Kora took a step outside, looking around the tent. Sure enough, there were rocks jutting out of the ground. They pointed right where Kora was sleeping, then shattered and left a path.

"U-Uh…" Another gulp. Kora followed the path of rocks back to the forest. There wasn't anyone on the island that could do that, right? Was there someone here? "I-I-Is someone there?" Despite his instincts telling him to get the hell outta there, he ignored them completely and followed the path.

The forest was definitely not the ideal place to be. The could wasn't too much of a bother, but having the idea that someone was maybe trying to skewer him on the edge of stones made walking the path those stones created very unsettling. Kora's ears flicked and turned and twitched every which way, listening for someone or something. All he heard was some crackling static, oddly enough. But replace oddly with scarily, for accuracy.

That creeping feeling returned, and Kora could swear that the darkness of the forest was getting darker and darker. It started to feel suffocating and claustrophobic. Kora gripped his chest, his vision starting to blur. Something was wrong, very wrong. The darkness crept closer, and Kora could swear he heard something just outside of his vision.

"Wh-Who's there..?" Kora asked, looking around. Was that movement in the corner of his eye, or was he just seeing things? Wait, what was that sound? Did a branch break? Who's crunching leaves? Did something fly above him? Where was he? Is anyone-

"Kora?" A girl's voice startled Kora, causing him to let out a high pitched scream and jump into a branch. It was Nina, and her friends. All three of which were looking at Kora with worried eyes.

"Oh, it's you guys…" Kora tittered, still holding onto the branch for dear life. "I didn't hear you coming! What's up?"

"Uh… you?" Lucas snorted. "What're you doing out here?"

"Oh you know…" Kora tried to release himself from the branch but his claws were in too deep. "... Hangin' around."

"Hangin' around?" Jay raised a brow.

"Hangin' around." Kora cleared his throat. For an uncomfortable amount of time, they just stood or hung there…

Nina sighed. "You're stuck, aren't you?"

Kora didn't answer, looking away. Eventually, he nodded. "Y-Yeah…" Jay and Lucas snickered, mostly at Nina who had turned a shade of purple.

A moment later and the entire branch Kora was attached to was sliced off it's tree. His claws remained snuggly inside it, and while the trio suggested he break it or allow them to, Kora said he wanted to hold onto it a little bit longer. Kora was then hit upside the head with the branch in his own paws.

The four followed the path back to the square, one of which with a branch still snuggly in paw. Kora took what felt like his first actual breath since he walked into the forest, taking in the warm sun and sighing.

"Alright, where are the others?" Jay asked, turning to Kora. "You weren't alone this whole time, right?"

"I had Eva and Minerva with me. They were still asleep when I left though." Kora said, swinging his branch from side to side. "I wonder if I can hurt anything with this…"

"Yes, you can. Please sto-" Jay turned to answer Kora, getting accidentally thwapped in the face by some stray leaves. "-ow…"

Kora apologizeed, but still refused to try and let go of the branch. They entered the bank to see the two still slumbering girls and a put out fire. "Huh, that's funny… I lit it back up before I left. Did I not add enough firewood?" Kora said, scratching his head with his branch. "Man this thing is useful."

"I don't think that matters right now. Let's get moving before the storm comes back." Jay said, poking Eva in the side. "Hey, you awake? We gotta go find the others."

Eva shifted around a bit, grabbing Jay's arm. "Nnnnnnnoooo… I wannna sleepsome more…"

Jay pulled and tugged but Eva's grip was too strong. "C-Come on, seriously, we're about to leave!"

"But the sfluffy is sowarm," Eva purred. Jay was not prepared nor did he sign up for this. And while he wasn't getting paid anyway, he felt he deserved a raise for this too.

"Kora, help me out here please?" Jay asked. Kora nodded, looking at his branch, then Eva. A light bulb dinged over Kora's head, which was an odd thing for everyone else to witness, then he dangled the leaves right under Eva's nose.

The first time Kora did it, Eva simply swatted it away and pulled Jay closer. The second time, she let out a growl. The third time was the kicker, as in Eva pulled the branch in and kicked Kora in the chest. While this finally made Kora let go of the branch and knock the wind out of him, Eva was still soundly asleep, and her kick gave her enough momentum to pull Jay into a tight squeeze in her soft, and surprisingly powerful, arms.

"H-Help me-e!" Jay choked.

"Ouch…" Kora groaned, rubbing his chest. "Wha- oh man, Jay's done for."

Nina rolled her eyes, going over to Eva and poking the slumbering Zangoose in the side. Surprisingly, this woke Eva right up, much to the frustration of Jay.

"Whazzat?" Eva asked, propping herself up. "How long was I out?"

"I dunno, I lost track of time," Kora said. "Thanks for kicking me in the ribs, by the way."

"Hmm, I shoulda gone for the head," Eva chuckled, looking down to see a crushed Jay. "What happened to him? Wait, when did he get here?"

Nina waved, getting Eva's attention. "You hugged him to death after kicking Kora."

"Ok…" Eva blinked. "Weren't there three of you? Where's Lucas?"

"Oh he's ri-" Kora was interrupted by the sound of someone getting punched really hard. He turned to see that Lucas was gone and Minerva awake and stretching. "Nevermind… I coulda sworn he was just here."

A pained voice from outside the tent then spoke, "I-I'm… here…"

Nina darted outside, finding Lucas face-down in the snow. "Did you trip or something?" Nina asked, trying to help him up. Lucas raised his claw to point at Minerva, who was already climbing into Kora's mane.

"He startled me. Shoulda known better," Minerva said, blunt.

"I was quiet, though…" Lucas groaned. "Y-You looked me in the eye before you did it..!"

Minerva shrugged, hardly caring. Kora flicked Minerva's ear and stuck out his tongue, offering to carry Lucas and Jay in his mane. While Lucas was fine after a little while, he did not waste this chance to try out the mane he's heard only good things about. Jay kinda just choked an affirmative grunt and Nina tossed him in, climbing in along with him.

"That's a lotta people, Kora. You sure you can handle it?" Eva asked, looking him over.

"I'm fine! This is nothing," Kora nodded, not admitting that he had to lean forward a bit to keep from falling over.

"H-Holy hell, there's so much room!" Lucas exclaimed, practically melting in the mane. "And soooooo waaaarrrrrrmmmmm…"

"Told ya," Nina snickered. Minerva would have been upset with all the people she had to share Kora's mane with, but she still had plenty of room to herself.

With everything in order, Eva, Kora, and his passengers set off to the guild, hoping to find the last missing members of their group. Unfortunately, Kora felt another annoying tingle in his nose. He growled and flicked his snout, reminding himself to thank Rio for the anti-nose-itch measure.

Zen would be the first to announce that he was lost, but certainly not when he's with others. He trudged through the snow, a proud, stoic warrior carrying a sick, fallen jackal. He was so stoic that he'd hardly say anything, and unknowingly, his hold on Rio slowly got tighter, which pretty much meant that Rio was getting jabbed in the side by body blades. Agony, was selling it short.

"Z-Zen…" Rio muttered.

"Silence, I'm gonna get us out of here." That was Zen's reply. Every time Rio spoke up. For the past ten minutes.

"Please, Zen…"

"Silence, I'm gonna get us out of here."

"Y-Your blade…"

"Silence, I'm gonna get us-"

Rio's ears twitched at Zen's automated message being cut short. Something was wrong, wasn't it? Zen stopped suddenly, his head on a swivel as he looked for… something. The forest was silent, other than the sound of Rio's heart pounding against his chest. Rio's sense ability was popping in and out, but all he could feel was Zen's overwhelming presence most of the time. But, when he really tried to focus, he felt it.

"There." Rio pointed his paw behind Zen, catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure among the trees. Zen nodded, placing Rio on the ground before facing the direction the jackal pointed in.

"Show yourself, there's no longer any point in hiding." Zen voice was firm, commanding. Even Rio felt the urge to give up but he was already in a weakened state, and did not want to move. A few moments of silence, and Zen's temper started to show. "The longer you make me wait, the more of your bones I will shatter under my heel."

Something stumbled in the snow, which was all Zen needed. He shot off like a bullet, and within a few seconds Rio heard, "Ahh! I give! I give! I surrender!"

Rio turned around to see Zen on top of a black and red creature, like a spiky bush made of crimson. Rio's immediate thought was, "Kora?"

"K-Kora? I'm his friend! His friend!" The Zoroark said, clearly panicked. Zen grabbed their wrist and held them down, staring into their eyes with his own, cold and deathly. "P-P-Please! I swear, I'm Kora's friend! Don't hurt me!"

"You're panicking, but with that power you're putting off…" Zen's eyes twitched. "No, even with all that energy, I could still break you with ease."

The Zoroark let out a frightened yip, squirming and wriggling under Zen. "N-No, please! Don't do that!"

"Your name." Zen leaned in close, just enough that his breath brushed past the fur on the fox's face. He held back a smirk as he watched the color fade from their face. "Spill it."

"Z! M-My name is Z!" Z sputtered, still flustered, but he seemed to have tired himself out. "I'm Z… Kora's friend."

"Why were you following us." Zen's questions really felt like demands, and if he wasn't answered immediately, he made sure to squeeze Z's wrists tightly.

"I-I thought… I didn't know who you were. I was cautious," Z gulped.

"Are you alone." There was a pause, which Zen wouldn't tolerate. He gripped tightly on Z's wrists, pushing his face ever closer to the fox's. "Are. You. Alone."

"Y-Y-Yes! Yes, I am!" Z turned his face away, not wanting to touch his snout to that cold, metallic armor. "I'm alone, I swear!"

"Hmph." Zen sat back up, looking over at Rio. "How are you feeling? Can you walk on your own?"

Rio rubbed his side, it was cut but hardly any blood came from it. He stood up, shaky at first but he managed to stand. For about, five seconds before almost face planting in the snow. "N-Not on my own. Maybe if I-"

"Don't bother, I'll continue carrying you." Zen turned back down to the fox beneath him. "You, are going to stay in front of me. If you so much as think about running off, I'll have you on the ground in an instant. Understand?"

Z gulped, looking into Zen's eyes. Was it fear? That's what Zen thought it was. A couple seconds passed before Z answered, it was quiet, but just enough for Zen to barely hear. "God yes…"

Zen blinked. "...What?"

"I-I mean, yessir!" Z chuckled.

Zen looked down at Z for another moment; the more he looked, the more he could see Z and Kora knowing each other. They almost… resembled each other, but Zen wrote that off as a coincidence thanks to their species. Even Kora was the splitting image of his mother, after all.

"Remember what I said, we're going to the guild," Zen said, standing up. He made sure to plant his greave on Z's chest just as he got up. "If Kora hesitates for even a second when I ask him about you, it's your life on the line." Zen looked down at Z's face, swearing he saw some sort of smile forming on his snout. He suddenly felt uncomfortable touching the fox at all.

"Understood." Z said with a nod, standing up as Zen removed his steel boot from his chest. Z was remarkably tall, almost matching Zen's height, and towering over Rio. He gave Zen and Rio a smile, which only unsettled Zen more.

"Wipe that smile off your face, don't forget your position in this situation," Zen warned with a sharp glare.

"I'm just glad to meet more of Kora's friends! When they're conscious and all that," Z said, suddenly freezing up. "I-I mean, when they aren't hurt!"

"...Right," Zen deadpanned. Just to stick with his stance as the one taking in a hostage, Zen refrained from admitting that Z would fit right in with Kora's friend circle. However, he still had to scoop Rio up in a bridal carry. With a straight face, Zen ordered Z, "Move."

Z nodded and smirked, turning on his heel and walking, as per his order. Zen felt he'd regret having Z and Kora meet. One brainless fox was one too many, but whatever Z's deal was… was definitely worse in Zen's eyes. Speaking of eyes, Zen caught Rio staring at Z. The Lucario looked upset, no… incredibly uncomfortable.

"What's on your mind, Outlander?" Zen whispered, holding Rio closer to his head.

"... I really wish I didn't have my sensing power working through that whole exchange," Rio answered bluntly.

"I wish I wasn't in that entire exchange." Zen said. He and Rio both shuddered, but continued on regardless. They made a silent agreement to only interact with Z if they truly needed to, which they really hoped they wouldn't.